Weekend Gardening: Spots On Your Crape Myrtle May Mean Disease
July 14, 2012
As the heat and humidity increase in Northwest Florida, expect to see some diseases appear in the landscape. One problem that is popping up on crape myrtles is Cercospora leaf spot. While not a deadly problem, it can greatly detract from the beauty of crape myrtles.
The initial symptom on crape myrtles is the appearance of tan to dark brown spots randomly scattered on yellow to red discolored leaves. The spots develop first on the lower leaves and progress upward in the canopy. Spots will continue to develop from mid-summer through fall. The color change is due to the production of a toxin by the fungal pathogen.
Infected leaves will drop prematurely and serve as a source to spread the pathogen causing further disease development. As the summer progresses, many infected trees will have dropped all but the newest leaves.
Older varieties of crape myrtles are more susceptible to this disease than newer varieties. The crape myrtle varieties most tolerant to Cercospora leaf spot are Natchez, Muskogee, Basham’s Party Pink, Sioux and Tonto.
Long term, this disease is not detrimental to a tree, although it will slow down growth on younger plants. Plants growing in conditions that are not ideal will be more affected by the leaf spot disease.
The best control is selecting a planting site with good air circulation so that the foliage will dry quickly. Thinning interior branches will also promote air flow.
The use of fungicides to control this disease has not been very effective because they would have to be applied repeatedly on a regular basis throughout the growing season. If used, fungicide applications should be started in early summer when the spots are first noticed and continued at one to two week intervals when the weather is warm and wet. Consult your local Extension office for fungicide recommendations.
As always, be sure to read and follow all label directions. Fungicides can be classified by how they work on the fungus or how they work on the plant. Products that work in a similar way on fungi have the same mode of action (also referred to as chemical family or class).
Contact fungicides are sprayed onto plants and act as a protective barrier from pathogen infection. They prevent infections from occurring when applied before symptoms are visible, but infections that have already occurred will continue to develop.
Systemic fungicides move into the plant, but movement inside the plant is limited. The vast majority of fungicides only move upward in the plant vasculature, but not down. Some fungicides only move locally into the plant part treated. Some systemic products exhibit curative action, which means the disease is stopped during its development. For managing fungicide resistance, products with different modes of action should be used in rotations.
Since this disease will result in early defoliation or the loss of leaves, it is critical to practice good sanitation. Raking and destroying fallen leaves should be a routine practice in order to prevent the spread of the disease.
For more information, contact Theresa Friday at (850) 623-3868 or email tlfriday@ufl.edu. Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
The Sky’s The Limit At Highland Baptist VBS
July 11, 2012
Vacation Bible School is a summertime tradition for children and churches across the North Escambia area.
One of the largest is Highland Baptist Church in Molino, where over 250 children are attending Sky VBS where kids learn that “everything is possible with God” and the sky is the limit.
For a photo gallery from Monday and Tuesday nights at Sky VBS at Highland Baptist, click here.
Sky VBS at Highland continues Wednesday through Friday from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. for ages three years through fifth grade.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Radio Dial Shuffle: Your Favorite Station May Be Moving Sunday
July 10, 2012
Confusing…that might be the best way to describe what’s happening to radio stations heard in the local area come Sunday afternoon.
Three stations will actually “move”, changing their frequencies at noon Sunday.
K-LOVE, which recently purchased WABB 97.5, will move and be heard on 98.3 FM. After the March 1 change, the format and air staff from WABB went to WABD 104.1.
On Sunday, WABD 104.1 — airstaff, music format and all — will move back home to 97.5 FM.
And, “smooth hits” WDLT 98.3 will move to 104.1 FM at noon Sunday.
The announcements were made Monday on-air at WABD 104.1 and via the station’s Facebook page.
Farmer’s Market In The Running For America’s Favorite
July 9, 2012
A Cantonment farmer’s market is in the running to be named one of the America’s Favorite Farmer’s Markets.
The Market at St. Monica’s is one of the contestants in the 2012 competition hosted by the American Farmland Trust. Winners will be featured on the food website Epicurious.com and will be honored at local celebrations with a prize package.
Market shoppers can cast their vote in support of their region’s farmers, community and market. To vote for The Market at St. Monica’s, click here and select the market. After voting, American Farmland Trust will solicit a donation to protect American farmland, but donations are not required to vote.
The Market at St. Monica’s is open on the first and third Saturdays of each month from 8 a.m. until noon with a variety of locally grown produce and other merchandise at St. Monica’s Episcopal Church at 699 County Road 95-A South in Cantonment.
The market will be open again on July 21.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
Pictured: Scenes from the last Market at St. Monica’s this past Saturday. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sometimes, An Old Tractor Just Has Soul
July 8, 2012
Sometimes an old tractor can just have soul. Just ask Randy Cole.
It’s no doubt that Cole knows mowers — he’s a master technician and, with Scott Taylor, co-owns Hendrix Service Center on Highway 29 in Molino. He sells the latest and greatest in mowers, complete with comfortable seats, cup holders in the just the right spots and lots of horsepower with a zero turn radius.
But Saturday morning, Cole was out mowing grass along Highway 29 on a 1949 McCormick Farmall Cub with a 412 Bush Hog deck. It just sounds good if you read that out loud.
Cole restored the old fashioned beauty using parts from two different “Cubs”. As pretty as she might be, it’s the story behind the tractor that gives it soul.
For that, we’ll let Randy Cole tell the story in his own words:
“When I was about four or five years old, I spent countless hours riding on the Cub in my granddaddy’s barn. I would sit on the spring loaded seat and bounce up and down all day long. My granddaddy would park it in the barn and turn the gas off.
I watched him do this many times. I also watched him start the Cub by pulling out on the ignition and pulling the starting rod. One day, while in my granddaddy’s barn, I got on the Cub and cranked it up. It was in reverse and I backed it out (unintentionally). It went back about 20 feet, right to the water faucet where he would fill up the radiator.
It would have gone farther but the gas was off and it ran out right there. I ran inside excited. I hollered to my grandaddy.
‘I have the tractor out ready to put water in it.’
I was in deep trouble. He gave me a good whoopin’ and I wasn’t allowed to play on that tractor for a long time. That was the start of my career as a Master Technician. After 50 years I finally decided to build one like his.”
Pictured: Randy Cole on his restored 1949 McCormick Farmall Cub with a 412 Bush Hog along Highway 29 in Molino Saturday. Submitted photos by Charlie Cole for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Stuckey Licensed To Preach By Poplar Dell Baptist Church
July 8, 2012
Poplar Dell Baptist Church has publicly licensed church member James Waylon Stuckey of Pineview with the authority to preach. The church acknowledged his ability and desire recently with a ceremony at the church led by Pastor Mitch Herring.
Stuckey is a 2000 graduate of Flomaton High School and is a former Marine, serving four active years beginning in 2001 and four years in the Reserves, stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC, then 3rd Force Reconnaissance in Mobile, Alabama. He is currently a farrier (professional horse shoer) and owner of A & W Farrier Service.
Married to the former Andrea Phillips of Jay, Stuckey and his wife have two children, Brianna and Rein. He is the son of Jimmy and the late Mary Ann Stuckey of Pineview. His only sibling is Melissa Johnson, also of Pineview.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Carnley’s To Celebrate 50th, Renew Wedding Vows
July 8, 2012
A local couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary by renewing their wedding vows.
The celebration for Shortie and Letha Carnley will be held Saturday, July 14 at 2 p.m. at Calvary Deliverance Temple at 11130 Highway 97 in Davisville. Dinner will follow in the Fellowship Hall.
Family and friends are welcome to attend. The couple requests no gifts.
Weekend Gardening: Tips For July
July 7, 2012
Here are gardening tips for the month of July from the Santa Rosa Extension Service:
Flowers
- Annuals to plant include celosia, coleus, crossandra, impatiens, kalanchoe, nicotiana, ornamental pepper, portulaca, salvia, and vinca.
- Lightly re-fertilize flowering annual and perennial beds in order to retain their vigor and keep them colorful.
- Remove old flowers (deadhead).
- Keep leggy growth pinched back.
Trees and Shrubs
- Remove spent flower heads from crape myrtles so that they will continue to bloom.
- Watch for, and control pests if necessary. Spider mites on shrubs and flowers. Lacebugs on azaleas and pyracantha. Flower thrips on roses, gardenias and other blooming plants. Oleander caterpillars on oleanders
- Do any necessary pruning of hydrangeas as soon as flowering is finished. They must have sufficient time to re-grow before the dormant season.
- Do not heavily prune any of the spring flowering shrubs such as azaleas, camellias or spiraea.
Fruits and Nuts
- Prune blueberry bushes, if needed, as soon as possible after harvest is completed.
Vegetable Garden
- Vegetables that can be planted outdoors include eggplant, lima beans, okra, southern peas, peppers and watermelon.
- Set out new tomato plants by late July in order to have a fall crop. Purchase tomato transplants or root disease free suckers from the spring crop. If possible, obtain one of the “hot set” varieties.
- Watch for and control tomato hornworm and fruitworms
- Remove old tomato plants from the garden once harvesting is complete. Diseased plants should be burned or removed from your property. Do not place known diseased plant parts in the compost pile.
- Establish a compost pile. The high temperatures and frequent showers of summer help to speed up the breakdown process.
Lawns
- Watch for, and control pests if necessary. Sod webworm in lawns, chinch bugs in St. Augustine lawns and spittlebug in centipede
- Keep lawn mower blades sharp. This reduces some disease problems and gives the lawn a neater look when it is cut.
- Phyllanthus (common name chamberbitter or gripeweed), often described as that little “mimosa looking weed”, began germinating in May. Check the lawn and landscape for its presence. Contact your local Extension service if you need help with recommended control measures.
- Time for mole cricket control. Use the soap flush technique to determine if sufficient crickets are present to warrant treatment.
- Lawns will begin experiencing more stress as temperatures rise this summer. Raise the mowing height one-half inch as hot weather approaches. This helps relieve some stress and enables the grass better tolerate summer conditions.
TV Icon Andy Griffith Dead At Age 86
July 4, 2012
TV icon and “America’s Sheriff” Andy Griffith passed away at his home in North Carolina Tuesday morning. He was 86.
Famous for “The Andy Griffith Show” from 1960-68, he also started in “Mayberry R.F.D.”, the legal drama Matlock and made guest appearances on numerous other shows. He was also a Grammy award winning Southern Gospel Singer.
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2005.
Ron Howard, cast as Griffith’s television son Opie Taylor, commented on Twitter, “Andy Griffith’s pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations and shaped my life. I’m forever grateful. RIP Andy.”
Featured Recipe: Yankee Doodle Dandy Treats
July 4, 2012
Looking to spend some time with the kids in the kitchen? Yankee Doodle Dandy Treats are a fun, easy and patriotic way to celebrate.
The recipe is not only easy, but it also lots of fun. It’s terrific for a “just-because” snack or as a sweet way to finish off a family picnic. And kids of all ages can help – from pouring and stirring to dipping and decorating, there’s something everyone can do.
Yankee Doodle Dandy Treats
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 package (10 ounces, about 40) regular marshmallows OR 4 cups miniature marshmallows
- 6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal OR 6 cups Kellogg’s® Cocoa Krispies® cereal
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate morsels
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- Red-, white- and blue-colored sprinkles
Preparation
- In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
- Add cereal. Stir until well coated.
- Using buttered spatula or wax paper, evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Crosswise cut in half, forming two 9 x 6 1/2-inch rectangles.
- Meanwhile, in small saucepan melt white chocolate morsels over low heat, stirring frequently. Stir in oil. Add powdered sugar, stirring until combined. Add water. Stir until smooth.
- Spread chocolate mixture over one cereal rectangle. Top with second rectangle. Sprinkle with red, white and blue sprinkles, pressing lightly into cereal mixture. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. Cut into 3 1/4 x 1-inch strips. Best if served the same day.
Serves
Servings 18
Preparation Time:
30 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour